You’d think the universe would give you a break after watching someone be brutally murdered, but I guess not.

The monster chasing me resembled that of a skeleton, but its structure was made of the rubble and debris created in the fight with Riot. The current of the wind seems to hold the debris together in this shape, and it only continues to move closer to me.

I started to run even faster seeing this and a wave of confusion crashed over me.

How is this happening? I saw that woman get blown to bits by Riot, so she can’t be controlling this thing.

Could this have been why Riot left without doing anything to me? Did he know she’d turn into whatever this is after she died, and he just assumed she’d end up killing me herself?!

The more I thought about that prick the more that the hate for him grew, like gasoline to a flame. But that didn’t matter, what mattered was figuring out how to get out of this situation.

I knew I had a power-stealing ability but I didn’t have powers stockpiled. I was powerless in this situation, so fighting back wasn’t an option.

Or maybe it was.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I used my power-stealing ability on this thing it would fall apart. It was only staying together because of its power, so taking it away would solve the problem.

Small problem, I didn’t know how to use my power. I didn’t know how to activate it, or what conditions needed to be met to activate it.

While I was trying to figure out how to defeat the monster, it was cutting through buildings with its wind like butter. The falling chunks of the buildings almost hit me several times, which was a grave reminder that I needed to act fast.

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The chunks of the buildings began to get caught up in the winds of the monster, forming orbiting rings around the creature like the rings of Saturn. These acted as further protection for the creature.

Seeing this, I came up with an idea. If I can jump onto one of these chunks before it gets caught in the winds I can ride the debris to move closer to the monster. This way, I can touch whatever the core of it is and absorb its power.

I stopped and turned suddenly, causing my shoes to grind against the asphalt, and then I ran and jumped onto a falling piece of debris.

I had to tightly grip the grooves of the debris to prevent being thrown off by the current of the wind. The rotating of the rings of debris felt like a roller coaster ride that wouldn’t stop going upside down.

Once I reached the top of the orbiting ring I noticed something within the skeleton. At the core of its being was a glowing, floating orb of energy where their heart would be if they had one.

When my eyes made contact with the orb, I felt something inside me ache. It was as if I had a part of me shared with the orb. I could feel the pain of death, the feeling of life leaving me as I stared into it. I was alive, but I shared the pain of death that the orb was experiencing.

I had to end it. I had to free the orb from its misery. I knew the only way to do this was to absorb it with my power.

Suddenly, my body began to act on its own. I instinctively knew how to use my power, just for that moment. I jumped off the orbiting ring at its peak and entered the skeleton through the opening above the clavicle.

The wind rushed past me, the feeling of falling and the winds that kept the skeleton together merged into one.

I held out my hands and as I fell into the orb, my arms wrapping around it.

An unexplainable energy entered my body, moving from my hands through every vein and artery. I could feel it travel to my arms, my legs, my chest, up my spine, and into my brain.

A sharp pain enveloped my brain the moment this energy touched it. It flooded my brain with emotions, memories, and knowledge. My brain felt like a glass of water being filled to where it was overflowing.

I felt myself become someone else.